I officially started filling out my KickStarter project this week!!! While I don't feel quite ready (will I ever?), One Spark Festival was the push I needed. I realized after speaking with 1500+ people over the course of the festival, that while I may only be designing a skirt, this is an item that appeals to all ages, races, cultures, and size - that's exciting! The world is ready for the skirt, and the skirt is almost ready for its debut.
I made a few decisions about the fastening system this week after consulting with some of my design friends, and now I'm just waiting for sample pieces to arrive to test out what I hope will be the final version - fingers are crossed!! With Bike Month just a few weeks away, I'm pushing hard to launch either the first or second week of May. It's so soon!! In the meantime, I'm working on my KickStarter, a photoshoot (so mine won't be the only face of the BWS), a video, and putting together a media strategy.
I'm telling you this in preparation, so that a) I can hold myself accountable and b) so that you understand what's happening and when.
When I launch my KickStarter campaign, I'm going to be asking for a lot of help. This isn't my strong area, I don't often ask for help. But the more help I get from people who care about the skirt, the more I will be able to offer, the more people I can reach, and the better my chances of getting the Bicycle Wrap Skirt into production and out on the streets later this summer.
I will be offering skirts from the first production run as rewards for contributions made to my campaign along with a handful of other awesome items and will be offering early bird KickStarter specials in limited quantities. From what I've gathered, a project on KickStarter needs to reach 1/3 of it's goal in the first week in order to get successfully funded by the end of their campaign - which means if you want to reserve a skirt, the earlier the better. And don't worry, if you can't contribute, because sharing is just as important!